Daegu (, , literally 'large hill', 대구광역시), formerly spelled Taegu and officially known as the Daegu Metropolitan City, is a city in South Korea.
It is the third-largest
urban agglomeration in South Korea after
Seoul and
Busan; it is the third-largest
official metropolitan area in the nation with over 2.5 million residents; and the second-largest city after Busan in the
Yeongnam region in southeastern
Korean Peninsula. It was overtaken by Incheon in the 2000s, but still it is said to be the third city, according to the "Act on the Establishment of Daegu City and Incheon City" (Act No. 3424 and April 13, 1981). Daegu and surrounding
North Gyeongsang Province are often referred to as
Daegu-Gyeongbuk, with a total population over 5 million.
Daegu is located in south-eastern Korea about from the seacoast, near the
Geumho River and its mainstream,
Nakdong River in
Gyeongsang-do. The Daegu basin is the central plain of the
Yeongnam region. In ancient times, the Daegu area was part of the proto-kingdom
Jinhan. Subsequently, Daegu came under the control of the
Silla Kingdom, which unified the
Korean Peninsula. During the
Joseon Dynasty period, the city was the capital of
Gyeongsang-do, one of the traditional
eight provinces of the country.
Daegu was an economic motor of Korea during the 1960s–1980s period and was especially known for its electronics industry. The humid subtropical climate of Daegu is ideal for producing high-quality apples, thus the nickname, "Apple City". Daegu is also known as "Textile City". Textiles used to be the pillar industry of the city. With the establishment of the
Daegu-Gyeongbuk Free Economic Zone, Daegu is currently focusing on fostering fashion and high-tech industries.
Daegu was the host city of the 22nd
World Energy Congress
The World Energy Council is a global forum for thought-leadership and tangible engagement with headquarters in London. Its mission is 'To promote the sustainable supply and use of energy for the greatest benefit of all people'.
The idea for the fo ...
, the
2011 World Championships in Athletics
The 13th IAAF World Championships in Athletics () was an international athletics competition that was held in Daegu, South Korea. It started on 27 August 2011 and finished on 4 September 2011.
The United States topped the medal standings in th ...
and the
2003 Summer Universiade
The 2003 Summer Universiade, also known as the XXII Summer Universiade, took place in Daegu, South Korea.
Emblem
* The alphabet letter "U" and five stars, which is FISU's emblem, make up the basis of the emblem for the Daegu Universiade.
* It sym ...
.
[FIS]
22nd SUMMER UNIVERSIADE
Retrieved 2011-10-12 It also hosted four matches in the
2002 FIFA World Cup
The 2002 FIFA World Cup, also branded as Korea Japan 2002, was the 17th FIFA World Cup, the quadrennial Association football, football world championship for List of men's national association football teams, men's national teams organized by ...
.
History
Prehistory and early history
Archaeological investigations in the Greater Daegu area have revealed a large number of settlements and burials of the prehistoric
Mumun Pottery Period (around 1500–300 BC). In fact, some of the earliest evidence of Mumun settlement in Gyeongsangdo have been excavated from Siji-dong and Seobyeon-dong.
[YUM (Yeungnam University Museum). ''Siji-eui Munhwayujeok VIII: Chwirakji Bonmun'' ultural Sites of Siji VIII: Settlement Site Text Research Report No. 33. Yeungnam University Museum, Gyeongsan, 1999b] Dongcheon-dong is one of the substantial Mumun agricultural villages that have been excavated. The Dongcheon-dong site dates back to the Middle Mumun (around 850–550 BC) and contains the remains of many prehistoric pit-houses and agricultural fields. Megalithic burials (dolmens) have also been found in large numbers in Daegu.
Ancient historical texts indicate that during the
Proto–Three Kingdoms (
Mahan Mahan or Mahaan may refer to:
* Mahan (name)
* Mahan confederacy, chiefdoms in ancient Korea
* Mahan, Iran, a city in Kerman Province
* Mahan District, an administrative subdivision of Kerman Province
* Mahan Rural District, an administrative subdi ...
,
Jinhan, and
Byeonhan
Byeonhan (, ), also known as Byeonjin, (, ) was a loose confederacy of chiefdoms that existed from around the beginning of the Common Era to the 4th century in the southern Korean peninsula. Byeonhan was one of the Samhan (or "Three Hans"), alo ...
) period, Daegu was the site of a chiefdom or walled-town polity known from that time, according to historical records, as
Dalgubeol Throughout and before recorded history, Daegu has served as a nexus of transportation, lying as it does at the junction of the Geumho and Nakdong rivers. During the Joseon Dynasty, the city was the administrative, economic and cultural centre of th ...
. It was absorbed into the kingdom of
Silla no later than the fifth century. The vestiges of the wall can be seen, and relics have been excavated in the current
Dalseong Park
Dalseong Park is a park located in Jung-gu, Daegu, South Korea. The park includes Gwanpungnu Pavilion, a local history hall, a zoo, and some monuments.
History
The park is located inside the oldest earthen fortification in Korea, dating from ab ...
.
Silla
Silla succeeded in unifying the Korean peninsula by defeating the other kingdoms of
Baekje and
Goguryeo in the late seventh century, partly due to assistance from China's
Tang Dynasty. Shortly thereafter, in 689, Silla's King
Sinmun considered moving the capital from
Gyeongju
Gyeongju ( ko, 경주, ), historically known as ''Seorabeol'' ( ko, 서라벌, ), is a coastal city in the far southeastern corner of North Gyeongsang Province in South Korea. It is the second largest city by area in the province after Andong, ...
to Daegu, but was unable to do so. This initiative is known only through a single line in the ''
Samguk Sagi
''Samguk Sagi'' (, ''History of the Three Kingdoms'') is a historical record of the Three Kingdoms of Korea: Goguryeo, Baekje and Silla. The ''Samguk Sagi'' is written in Classical Chinese, the written language of the literati of ancient Korea, ...
'', a most valued historical record of ancient Korea by Koryeo Dynasty historian
Kim Bu-sik, but it is presumed to indicate both an attempt by the Silla king to reinforce royal authority and the entrenched resistance of the Gyeongju political elites that was the likely cause of the move's failure. The city was given its current name in 757.
In the late 1990s, archaeologists excavated a large-scale fortified Silla site in Dongcheon-dong, Buk-gu. The site at Locality 2 consists of the remains of 39 raised-floor buildings enclosed by a formidable ditch-and-palisade system. The excavators hypothesize that the fortified site was a permanent military encampment or barracks. Archaeologists also uncovered a large Silla village dating to the sixth to seventh centuries AD at Siji-dong.
Later Three Kingdoms and Goryeo
During the
Later Three Kingdoms period, 892–936, Daegu was initially aligned with
Hubaekje. In 927, northern Daegu was the site of the Battle of Gong Mountain between the forces of
Goryeo under
Wang Geon and those of Hubaekje under
Gyeon Hwon. In this battle, the forces of Goryeo were crushed and Wang Geon himself was saved only by the heroic deed of his general
Shin Sung-gyeom
Sin Sung-gyeom (; d. 927) was a Korean general during the turbulent Later Three Kingdoms period in the early 10th century. Born in Gwanghaeju (present-day Chuncheon), he became a general in the kingdom of Taebong. He was instrumental in helping ...
. However, the atrocities of the Hubaekje forces at this time apparently changed local sympathizers to favor Wang Geon, who later became the king of
Goryeo.
Numerous place names and local legends in the area still bear witness to the historic battle of 927. Among these are "
Ansim", which literally means "peace of mind", said to be the first place where Wang Geon dared to stop after escaping the battle, and "
Banwol", or half-moon, where he is said to have stopped and admired the moon before returning to Goryeo. A statue commemorating the battle now stands in northern Daegu, as does a memorial to Sin Sunggyeom.
In the
Goryeo period, the first edition of the ''
Tripitaka Koreana'' was stored in Daegu, at the temple of Buinsa. However, this edition was destroyed when the temple was sacked in 1254, during the
Mongol invasions of Korea.
Joseon

Daegu served as an important transportation center during the
Joseon
Joseon (; ; Middle Korean: 됴ᇢ〯션〮 Dyǒw syéon or 됴ᇢ〯션〯 Dyǒw syěon), officially the Great Joseon (; ), was the last dynastic kingdom of Korea, lasting just over 500 years. It was founded by Yi Seong-gye in July 1392 and re ...
Dynasty. She stands in the mid part of the
Great Yeongnam Road which ran between Seoul and Busan. It lay at the junction of this arterial road and the roads to Gyeongju and
Jinju
Jinju () is a city in South Gyeongsang Province, South Korea. It was the location of the first (1592) and second (1593) Sieges of Jinju by Japanese forces during the Imjin War. The Republic of Korea Air Force Education and Training Command is ...
.
In 1601, Daegu became the administrative capital of the
Gyeongsang-do, which is current Daegu,
Busan,
Ulsan,
Gyeongsangbuk-do, and
Gyeongsangnam-do
South Gyeongsang Province ( ko, 경상남도, translit=Gyeongsangnam-do, ) is a province in the southeast of South Korea. The provincial capital is at Changwon. It is adjacent to the major metropolitan center and port of Busan. The UNESCO World H ...
. At about that time, the city began to grow into a major city. The status continued for nearly 300 years, and the city has been transformed as the capital of Gyeongsangbuk-do since Gyeongsang-do was divided into two provinces, Gyeongsangbuk-do (northern Gyeongsang-province) and Gyeongsangnam-do (southern one) in 1896.
Daegu's first regular markets were established during the late Joseon period. The most famous of these is the
Yangnyeongsi herbal medicine market. This became a center of herbal trade in Joseon, and even attracted buyers from neighboring countries. Traders from Japan, who were not permitted to leave the
Nakdong River valley, hired messengers to visit the market on their behalf.
Seomun Market
Seomun Market is the largest traditional street market in Daegu, South Korea, containing more than 4,000 shops. Seomun Market is particularly known as a source for textiles and sewing services, a key ingredient of Daegu's fashion industry.
The n ...
, which stood at the city's west gate at that time, was one of the top-three markets in the Joseon period.
Korean Empire and colonial rule
Japanese imperialism forcibly opened up Korea's markets beginning in the late 19th century. In 1895, Daegu became the site of one of the country's first modern
post offices, as a part of the 'Gab-o' reforms introduced in the aftermath of the
First Sino-Japanese war.
Beginning in the late 1890s, increasing numbers of foreign merchants and workers started to visit Daegu, which emerged as a modern transportation center of the newly constructed
Gyeongbu Line main railroad connecting Seoul and Busan.
In 1905, the old fortress wall was forcibly destroyed. As a tribute to the wall, streets that now run where the wall once stood have been named
Dongseongno and
Bukseongno, which translates as "east fortress street" and "north fortress street" respectively.
Independence movements against imperial aggressions were outstanding in Daegu. These began as early as 1898, when a branch of the
Independence Club was opened in the town. As the demise of the
Korean Empire
The Korean Empire () was a Korean monarchical state proclaimed in October 1897 by Emperor Gojong of the Joseon dynasty. The empire stood until Japan's annexation of Korea in August 1910.
During the Korean Empire, Emperor Gojong oversaw the Gwa ...
approached in 1907, local citizens led by
Seo Sang-don
Seo or SEO may refer to:
* Search engine optimization, the process of improving the visibility of a website or a web page in search engines
Organisations
* SEO Economic Research, a scientific institute
* Spanish Ornithological Society (''Socied ...
organized the
National Debt Repayment Movement. The movement spread nationwide, although it fell short of repaying the national debt through individual donations. Freedom fighting continued after the 1910 annexation, notably during the
March 1st movement of 1919. At that time, four major demonstrations took place in Daegu, involving an estimated 23,000 peace-loving citizens.
After 1945
In 1946, the
Daegu October Incident
The 10.1 Daegu Uprising of 1946 (hangul: 대구 10·1 사건; hanja: 大邱 10·1 事件) in Korea was a peasant uprising throughout the southern provinces of Korea against the policies of the United States Army Military Government in Korea headed ...
took place, one of the most serious social disorders since the foundation of the Republic of Korea. On October 1, Korean national police killed three student demonstrators and injured many others. It was also the site of major demonstrations on February 28, 1960, prior to the
presidential election of that year.
Daegu and all of North Gyeongsang province had heavy guerrilla activities in the late 1940s, as thousands of refugees shied away from the fighting in Jeolla province and sought shelters in Daegu. In November 1948, a unit in Daegu joined the mutiny which had begun in
Yeosu the previous month. As in many other areas during the Korean War,
political killings of dissenters were widespread.
During the
Korean War, heavy fighting occurred nearby along the
Nakdong River. Daegu sat inside the
Pusan Perimeter, however, so it remained in South Korean hands throughout the war. The fighting that prevented North Korean troops from crossing the Nakdong River has become known as the
Battle of Taegu.
In the second half of the 20th century, the city underwent explosive growth, and the population has increased more than tenfold since the end of the Korean War. The city was politically favored during the 18-year-long rule of
Park Chung-hee
Park Chung-hee (, ; 14 November 1917 – 26 October 1979) was a South Korean politician and army general who served as the dictator of South Korea from 1961 until his assassination in 1979; ruling as an unelected military strongman from 1961 ...
, when it and the surrounding area served as his political base. Daegu champions conservative political ideas and movements today and is a political base for the
Saenuri Party
The Liberty Korea Party () was a conservative political party in South Korea that was described variously as right-wing, right-wing populist, or far-right. Until February 2017, it was known as the Saenuri Party (), and before that as the H ...
.
In the 1980s, Daegu separated from Gyeongsangbuk-do and became a separately administered provincial-level
directly governed city (''Jikhalsi''), and was redesignated as a
metropolitan city (''Gwangyeoksi'') in 1995. Today, Daegu is the third-largest
metropolitan area
A metropolitan area or metro is a region that consists of a densely populated urban agglomeration and its surrounding territories sharing industries, commercial areas, transport network, infrastructures and housing. A metro area usually com ...
in Korea with respect to both population and commerce.
Since 1990, Daegu has suffered two of South Korea's worst mass casualty disasters: the
1995 Daegu gas explosions
The 1995 Daegu gas explosions occurred at Daegu Metro Line 1, a construction site located in Sangin-dong, Daegu, South Korea, on April 28, 1995. At least 101 people, including 42 Yeongnam Middle School students, were killed with as many as 202 pe ...
, which killed 101 people, and the 2003
Daegu subway fire, which killed 192 people.
In February 2020, Daegu was the epicenter of the
COVID-19 pandemic in South Korea.
Politics

Two local governments are in the city, the Daegu Metropolitan Government in
Jung District Jung District (), meaning "Central District," is the name of a ''gu'' (district) in several South Korean cities:
*Jung District, Busan
*Jung District, Daegu
*Jung District, Daejeon
*Jung District, Incheon
*Jung District, Seoul
*Jung District, Ulsan ...
and Gyeongbuk Provincial Government in
Buk District Buk-gu, (), or "Northern District", is the name of a ''gu'' in several South Korean cities:
* Buk-gu, Busan
* Buk-gu, Daegu
* Buk-gu, Gwangju
Buk District (Buk-gu) is a district situated in the northern part of the city of Gwangju, South Korea ...
. The provincial government will be relocated to
Andong
Andong () is a city in South Korea, and the capital of North Gyeongsang Province. It is the largest city in the northern part of the province with a population of 167,821 as of October 2010. The Nakdong River flows through the city. Andong is a m ...
in its proper province, Gyeongbuk. The mayor and heads of city's eight districts are directly elected by the citizens every four years. The city council has 29 members which consist of 26 from the same number of electoral districts and three proportional representations. They are also directly elected every four years. Most of them are the members of the
Liberty Korea Party
The Liberty Korea Party () was a conservative political party in South Korea that was described variously as right-wing, right-wing populist, or far-right. Until February 2017, it was known as the Saenuri Party (), and before that as the Hanna ...
, the main
conservative political party in South Korea. Daegu is a stronghold for the party and has produced two Presidents of the Republic of Korea thus far:
Roh Tae-woo and
Park Geun-hye. As the capital of the Korean conservatives, the city has wielded strong political influence in
elections.
Administrative divisions

Daegu is divided into 7 districts (''Gu'') and 1 county (''Gun'')
*
Jung District Jung District (), meaning "Central District," is the name of a ''gu'' (district) in several South Korean cities:
*Jung District, Busan
*Jung District, Daegu
*Jung District, Daejeon
*Jung District, Incheon
*Jung District, Seoul
*Jung District, Ulsan ...
() – ''means the central district.''
*
Dong District () – ''means the east district.''
*
Seo District Seo-gu (), or " Western District," is the name of a ''gu'' in several South Korean cities:
* Seo-gu, Busan
* Seo-gu, Daegu
* Seo-gu, Daejeon
* Seo-gu, Gwangju
* Seo-gu, Incheon
Seo District (Seo-gu) is the largest district in Incheon, South Korea ...
() – ''means the west district.''
*
Nam District () – ''means the south district.''
*
Buk District Buk-gu, (), or "Northern District", is the name of a ''gu'' in several South Korean cities:
* Buk-gu, Busan
* Buk-gu, Daegu
* Buk-gu, Gwangju
Buk District (Buk-gu) is a district situated in the northern part of the city of Gwangju, South Korea ...
() – ''means the north district.''
*
Suseong District
Suseong District (Suseong-gu) is a ''gu'' (district) in southeastern Daegu, South Korea. It is one of the most prosperous and high-density areas of Daegu, and is the site of the city's most extensive hagwon district. The population of this distr ...
()
*
Dalseo District ()
*
Dalseong County ()
Geography
Topography

Daegu sits in a basin surrounded by low mountains.
Palgongsan to the north,
Biseulsan to the south, Waryongsan to the west, and a series of smaller hills in the east. The
Geumho River flows along the northern and eastern edges of the city, emptying in the Nakdong River west of the city.
Climate
Daegu has a cooler version of a
humid subtropical climate
A humid subtropical climate is a zone of climate characterized by hot and humid summers, and cool to mild winters. These climates normally lie on the southeast side of all continents (except Antarctica), generally between latitudes 25° and 40° ...
(
Köppen: ''Cwa''). In
Holdridge climate classification, Daegu has a warm temperate moist forest climate. The mountains that comprise the basin trap hot and humid air. Similarly, in winter, cold air lies in the basin. The area receives little precipitation except during the rainy season of summer, and is sunny throughout much of the year. Data gathered since 1961 indicates that the mean temperature for January, the coldest month in Daegu, is and that for August, the warmest month, is . The city's lowest record temperature was , and the city's highest record temperature was . In summer 2018, high temperatures led to the emergence of a new term called Dae-Frika (Daegu+Africa) starting with the internet community, and has been used in the media, broadcasting, etc. Summers in Daegu are some of the hottest in the Korean peninsula.
Economy

Daegu is a manufacturing industry city. The major industries are
textiles,
metals and
machinery
A machine is a physical system using power to apply forces and control movement to perform an action. The term is commonly applied to artificial devices, such as those employing engines or motors, but also to natural biological macromolecule ...
. In the year 2021, Daegu had a regional GDP of $44,144 million. Many companies such as
Daegu Bank,
Korea Delphi,
Hwasung corp., and
TaeguTec are situated in this city, and
Samsung and
Kolon Kolon may refer to:
* Kolon Industries, a Korean company
* Kolon, Chad, a sub-prefecture of Chad
See also
* Abba Kolon, a figure in Talmudic mythology
* Ali Kolon, 15th-century Songhai king
* Colon (disambiguation)
* Kollon
* Kolong (disam ...
were founded here. Numerous factories are located in the industrial complexes situated in the west and north sides of the city including the Seongseo Industrial Complex, West Daegu Industrial Complex and the Daegu Dyeing Industrial Complex.
The city is the economic and industrial core of the
Daegu-Gyeongbuk region, one of the major industrial areas in Korea. It accounted for as much as 94 percent of Korea's trade surplus in 2006. The electronics industries in
Gumi Gumi may refer to:
* Gumi, Iran, a village in South Khorasan Province, Iran
* Gumi, Nepal, a village development committee in Surkhet District, Bheri Zone, Nepal
* Gumi, North Gyeongsang, a city in Gyeongsangbuk-do, South Korea
** Gumi University
* ...
and the steel industries in
Pohang provided great services to that surplus. World-leading manufacturing facilities for
Anycall (
Samsung Mobile) and
POSCO's main factories are located near the city. Daegu and its neighbouring cities were designated for the
Daegu-Gyeongbuk Free Economic Zone by the central government in 2008. It is specialized companies like Winitech software company in knowledge-based service and manufacturing industries.
Historically, Daegu has been the commercial center of the southern part of the
Korean Peninsula with
Seoul in the center and
Pyongyang in the north (currently
North Korea), because of its advantageous location. Some of the large, traditional markets like
Seomun Market
Seomun Market is the largest traditional street market in Daegu, South Korea, containing more than 4,000 shops. Seomun Market is particularly known as a source for textiles and sewing services, a key ingredient of Daegu's fashion industry.
The n ...
are still flourishing in the city.
Additionally, Daegu was considered the third major economic city in Korea, after Seoul and Busan. However, due to the decline of the textile industry, which is the heart of Daegu's economy, the overall economic growth of the city has also fallen.
Also, the city is the warmest region in South Korea due to the humid subtropical climate. This climate condition provides the region with high quality apples and oriental melons. The fruit industry is a crucial support for the local economy. Due to the stagnant economy, Daegu's population began to decrease after 2003. Recently, the local government has begun focusing on working towards economic revival and concentrating on improving the city's fashion industry.
Fashion industry
Beginning in the late 1990s, Daegu has been actively making efforts to promote its
fashion
Fashion is a form of self-expression and autonomy at a particular period and place and in a specific context, of clothing, footwear, lifestyle, accessories, makeup, hairstyle, and body posture. The term implies a look defined by the fashion in ...
industry based on its textile and
clothing manufacturing industries under the 'Daegu: Fashion City'. The city opens many exhibitions related to the fashion and textile industries including th
Daegu Fashion Fairan
Preview in Daeguannually or semi-annually, and invites national institutes. A large new town specializing in the textile-fashion industries is currently under construction in Bongmu-dong, northeastern Daegu. The district, officially named Esiapolis, takes aim at the fashion hub of East Asia. Textile complexes, textile-fashion institutions, an international school, fashion malls as well as residential areas plan to be developed in the district.
Culture and sightseeing

Generally, Daegu is known as a conservative city. As well as being the largest inland city in the country beside Seoul it has become one of the major metropolitan areas in the nation. Traditionally,
Buddhism has been strong; today there are still many temples.
Confucianism is also popular in Daegu, with a large academy based in the city. Neon cross-topped spires of Christian churches can also be seen in the city.
Sights
The most well-known sight of the city is the stone Buddha called
Gatbawi on the top of Gwanbong,
Palgongsan. It is famous for its stone
gat (Korean traditional hat). People from all over the country visit the place, because they believe that the Buddha will grant one's single desire. Administratively, the site itself is located in the neighboring city,
Gyeongsan,
Gyeongbuk.

On the outskirts of the city, mountains keep many traditional temples such as
Donghwasa
Donghwasa, also Donghwa Temple, is a Buddhist temple of the Jogye Order in northern Daegu, South Korea. The temple is located on the south side of Mt. Palgongsan, within the boundaries of Dohak-dong, Dong-gu, near Daegu's northern border. Th ...
,
Pagyesa
Pagyesa, or Pagye Temple, is a Buddhist temple in Palgongsan mountain park, near Daegu, South Korea
South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea (ROK), is a country in East Asia, constituting the southern part of the Korean Peninsula ...
, and
Buinsa. Donghwasa is a Buddhist temple that was built by Priest Geukdal-hwasang in 493, and many artifacts of the period are found around the temple. The International Tourist Zen Meditation Center is Korea's only Zen-themed center. Some lecture halls or memorial halls such as Dodong-seowon () and Nokdong-seowon () are also located in the suburbs.
Old villages have been preserved, such as the
Otgol village (''Gyeongju Choi'' clan's original residence area) and the Inheung village (''Nampyeong Muns). In the urban area, the
Joseon Dynasty's administrative or educational buildings including
Gyeongsang-gamyeong () and
Daegu-hyanggyo
The Daegu Hyanggyo (a hyanggyo is a state-sponsored academy where students studied Confucianism and prepared for the gwageo, civil service examinations during the Goryeo Dynasty, 918-1392, and Joseon Dynasty, 1392 - 1910) was founded in 1398 du ...
() also remain. The main gateway of the city in that period called
Yeongnam-jeilmun (, meaning the first gateway in
Yeongnam), has been restored in
Mangudang Park. Western style modern architecture like
Gyesan Cathedral Gyesan is a district of Gyeyang which is a ward of Incheon, South Korea. It is 4.55 km squared. It was founded in 1946. There are 95,908 people living in Gyesan district. Gyesan's motto is "be a polite citizen." Gyesan is a residential and comm ...
and the old building of Jeil Church are preserved across the urban area. Gyesan Cathedral is the third oldest gothic church building in Korea and the cathedral of the
Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Daegu which is one of
three archdioceses in South Korea. Several buildings, in the present
Keisung Academy
Keisung Academy () is a co-educational independent day and boarding school for grades 10–12, located in Daegu, South Korea.
History
Origins
Keisung Academy was established in 1906 by missionary James E. Adams.
Campus facilities
Academic f ...
and the
KNU middle/high school, are famous too.
Yangnyeongsi () in Namseongno (often called Yakjeon-golmok) is the oldest market for Korean medicinal herbs in the country with a history of 350 years. Bongsan-dong which has some art galleries and studios is being developed as the artistic center of the city since the 1990s.
Nearby tourist attractions include
Haeinsa—a
Buddhist temple that houses the ''
Tripitaka Koreana'' (a woodblock edition of the ''
Tripitaka'' and one of the world's oldest extant complete collections of the Buddhist scriptures). Haeinsa is located in Gayasan National Park of
Hapcheon,
Gyeongnam. The historic city of
Gyeongju
Gyeongju ( ko, 경주, ), historically known as ''Seorabeol'' ( ko, 서라벌, ), is a coastal city in the far southeastern corner of North Gyeongsang Province in South Korea. It is the second largest city by area in the province after Andong, ...
,
Gyeongbuk, the capital of the ancient kingdom of
Silla is located east of Daegu.
Mountains and parks

Mt. Palgong, Mt. Biseul, and Mt. Ap are the representative mountains in Daegu. Apsan, just in the southern part of the city, is the closest mountain from the urban area among them. It has many trails,
Buddhist temples, a Korean War museum, and a gondola ride to the peak. Additionally, Waryongsan, Hamjisan, and Yongjibong are located in the city. These serve as neighborhood parks to the citizens. Mt. Palgong has a cable car to the summit. There are also hiking trails in the direction of the Donghwasa Temple and Sutaegol Valley.
In the urban area, several small mountains and hills play the same role. Dalseong Park, which sits inside a 1,500-year-old earth fortress, is a historic place of the city. It contains the city's only
zoo and some monuments as well as the wall.
Duryu Park
Duryu Park, founded in 1965, is a park located in Duryu-dong, Daegu Dalseo-gu, South Korea.
The area of the park is 1,653,965 m². It is equipped with many facilities such as multipurpose playgrounds, a swimming pool, tennis courts, a roller s ...
or Duryusan is a large forest in the middle of the urban area. It has
Daegu Tower,
Woobang Land, Kolon Bandstand, Duryu Stadium, and many sports facilities. Daegu Tower, also called Woobang Tower or Duryu Tower, is the tallest contemporary structure (202 m) and a symbol of the city. Its observatory commands good views of the surroundings. Woobang Land is the largest amusement park out of the capital area. Many small gardens lie in the heart of the city, such as the National Debt Repayment Movement Memorial Park (Gukchae Bosang Park) and 2·28 Park. The former park includes Dalgubeol-daejong (), which means the Dalgubeol grand bell. The bell is struck every week and year. There is also a botanical garden with a variety of plants and flowers.
Downtown and shopping
Dongseongno () is the downtown of Daegu lying from the
Daegu Station to ''Jung-ang pachulso'' (central police station) near the Banwoldang subway station in the center of the city
Jung-gu Jung District (), meaning "Central District," is the name of a ''gu'' (district) in several South Korean cities:
*Jung District, Busan
*Jung District, Daegu
*Jung District, Daejeon
*Jung District, Incheon
*Jung District, Seoul
*Jung District, Ulsan ...
. It has the Jung-angno subway station as the nearest station from its heart. Like its name meaning the street in the east fortress, the eastern part of
Daegu-eupseong (, means the Daegu-Principality Fortress) was situated along this street. The fortress, however, had been demolished in the early 20th century. Although Daegu is the nation's third or fourth largest city, the Dongseongno area form the largest and the broadest downtown area in the whole country except the capital city,
Seoul. In most cases, famous brands open their branch shop first here out of the Greater Seoul area.

Sub-downtowns in the city have its own commercial powers and colors. The area around the Seongseo Industrial Complex subway station in
Dalseo-gu is a concentration of many amusement spots, and young people easily can be seen around
Kyungpook National University
Kyungpook National University (경북대학교, abbreviated as KNU or Kyungdae, 경대) is one of ten Flagship Korean National Universities representing Daegu Metropolitan City and Gyeongbuk Province in South Korea. It is located in the Dae ...
in
Buk-gu. ''Deuran-gil'' (means the street inside the field) in
Suseong-gu
Suseong District (Suseong-gu) is a ''gu'' (district) in southeastern Daegu, South Korea. It is one of the most prosperous and high-density areas of Daegu, and is the site of the city's most extensive hagwon district. The population of this dist ...
is known for many restaurants.
The city has a number of department stores. Many of these belong to national or multinational chains, but the local
Daegu Department Store also operates two branches, while another local chain,
Donga Department Store operates four in the city proper. The six department stores among them gather at the downtown. The traditional markets such as
Seomun Market
Seomun Market is the largest traditional street market in Daegu, South Korea, containing more than 4,000 shops. Seomun Market is particularly known as a source for textiles and sewing services, a key ingredient of Daegu's fashion industry.
The n ...
and Chilseong Market sell all sorts of goods.
Festivals
Many traditional ceremonies and festivals in agrarian society disappeared in the process of modernization. A Confucian ritual ceremony called ''Seokjeondaeje'' is held at Daegu-hyanggyo every spring and autumn. The Yangnyeongsi herb medical festival and Otgol village festival are the contemporary festivals about traditional culture.
Lately in the city, enthusiasm about performing arts is growing and the local government is trying to meet its demand.
Daegu International Opera Festival (DIOF) in October since 2003,
Daegu International Musical Festival (DIMF), and
Daegu International Bodypainting Festival
Daegu (, , literally 'large hill', 대구광역시), formerly spelled Taegu and officially known as the Daegu Metropolitan City, is a city in South Korea.
It is the third-largest urban agglomeration in South Korea after Seoul and Busan; it is ...
(DIBF) are three of the most famous festivals on each field in Korea, although those have short histories.
Various festivals in various themes like the Colorful Daegu Festival,
Dongseongno festival,
Palgongsan maple festival,
Biseulsan azalea festival, Korea in Motion Daegu, and so on, are held by the city, each ward, or the specific groups, all through the year.
On August 25 through August 31, 2008, Daegu hosted the first ever Asian Bodypainting Festival, a sister event of the
World Bodypainting Festival
The World Bodypainting Festival is a bodypainting festival and competition which is held annually in Austria, since 2017 in Klagenfurt. It is attended by artists from 50 nations and attracts many thousands of spectators.
Festival
The World Bo ...
in
Seeboden, Austria.
Each year the city is home to the Daegu International Jazz Festival: http://www.dijf.or.kr/
Every May the "Colorful Daegu Festival" offers performances and art programs including the Colorful Parade. In July, the
Daegu Chimac Festival
The Daegu Chimac Festival is Food Festival in South Korea. '2017 Daegu Chimac Festival' takes place at Duryu park in Daegu from 19–23 July. 'Chimac' is compound word of chicken and beer in South Korea. Last year, 1 million people participated ...
takes place at Duryu Park in Dalseo-gu, Daegu. The term "chimac" is a portmanteau of chicken and maekju (meaning "beer"). There were over 880,000 visitors in 2015, and one million visitors during the festival in 2016.
Museums
Daegu Art Museum
*
Daegu National Museum
Daegu National Museum is a national museum located in Hwanggeum-dong, Suseong-gu, Daegu, South Korea. It opened on December 7, 1994, and holds approximately 30,000 artifacts. Its main collection consists of archaeological objects from Daegu and ...
– A notable national museum collecting relics excavated in and around Daegu
Daegu Bangjja Yugi (Korean Bronzeware) Museum*
Hengso Museum of Keimyung University
*Korea Video Museum
*
Kyungpook National University Museum
Kyungpook National University Museum is an archaeological museum located in Buk District, Daegu, South Korea.Engel, M. S., Lim, J.-D., Baek, K.-S., & Martin, L. D. (2002). An Earwig from the Lower Cretaceous of Korea (Dermaptera: Forficulina). J ...
*Museum for Daegu National University of Education
Museum of Natural Dye ArtsNational Debt Repayment Movement Memorial Museum
Theaters
Daegu Opera House– The first theater in Korea only for performing opera
– One of the largest scale theaters in the city.
Daegu Culture and Arts Center
Sports
On March 27, 2007, the city was selected to host the
2011 World Championships in Athletics
The 13th IAAF World Championships in Athletics () was an international athletics competition that was held in Daegu, South Korea. It started on 27 August 2011 and finished on 4 September 2011.
The United States topped the medal standings in th ...
. Daegu competed with cities such as
Moscow, Russia, and
Brisbane, Australia, to earn the votes of the IAAF Council. The event was the fourth
IAAF World Championships in Athletics
The World Athletics Championships (until 2019 known as the World Championships in Athletics) are a biennial athletics competition organized by World Athletics (formerly IAAF, International Association of Athletics Federations). Alongside the Ol ...
to be held outside Europe, and the first games in mainland Asia. It was also the third worldwide sports event held in Korea after the
1988 Summer Olympics
The 1988 Summer Olympics (), officially known as the Games of the XXIV Olympiad () and commonly known as Seoul 1988 ( ko, 서울 1988, Seoul Cheon gubaek palsip-pal), was an international multi-sport event held from 17 September to 2 October ...
in Seoul and
2002 FIFA World Cup
The 2002 FIFA World Cup, also branded as Korea Japan 2002, was the 17th FIFA World Cup, the quadrennial Association football, football world championship for List of men's national association football teams, men's national teams organized by ...
in Korea and Japan, in which Daegu hosted four matches. It also hosted the
2003 Summer Universiade
The 2003 Summer Universiade, also known as the XXII Summer Universiade, took place in Daegu, South Korea.
Emblem
* The alphabet letter "U" and five stars, which is FISU's emblem, make up the basis of the emblem for the Daegu Universiade.
* It sym ...
.
The city hosts th
Colorful Daegu Pre-Championships Meetingevery year since 2005.
Daegu Stadium is the second largest sports complex in South Korea with a
seating capacity of 66,422.
Daegu Civic Stadium hosted some football matches at the
1988 Summer Olympics
The 1988 Summer Olympics (), officially known as the Games of the XXIV Olympiad () and commonly known as Seoul 1988 ( ko, 서울 1988, Seoul Cheon gubaek palsip-pal), was an international multi-sport event held from 17 September to 2 October ...
.
The
Daegu Marathon is held here every year in April. The race begins and ends at the Daegu Stadium.
Sports teams
= Samsung Lions
=

The Samsung Lions are a professional baseball team founded in 1982. They are based in the southeastern city of Daegu and are members of the
KBO League. Their home stadium is
Daegu Samsung Lions Park. They have won the
Korean Series eight times. The Samsung Lions are the first team to win four consecutive Korean Series titles (2011, 2012, 2013, and 2014). They are also the first Korean team to win a regular league title for five consecutive years (2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, and 2015).
= Daegu FC
=

Daegu Football Club was founded as a community club at the end of 2002, and made their
K League
K League (Hangul: K리그) is South Korea's professional football league. It includes first division K League 1 and second division K League 2.
History
Until the 1970s, South Korean football operated two major football leagues, the National S ...
debut in 2003. Historically, Daegu have often placed in the lower reaches of the K League. Their best season to date has been 2021, when they finished third out of twelve teams. They were also the winners of the
Korean FA Cup in 2018, which qualified the club for their first appearance in the
AFC Champions League
The AFC Champions League (abbreviated as ACL) is an annual continental club football competition organised by the Asian Football Confederation, and contested by Asia's top-division football clubs. It is the most prestigious club competition ...
the following year. The club has since played in the 2021 and 2022 editions of AFC Champions League.
Media
There are three terrestrial TV broadcasting stations in the city:
KBS Daegu Broadcast Station, Daegu
MBC, and
TBC
TBC may refer to:
Education
* Trinity Bible College in North Dakota, US
* Tauranga Boys' College, a state secondary school in Tauranga, New Zealand
Companies
* Triangle Brewing Company of Durham, North Carolina, US
* Tram et Bus de la CUB (TBC ...
. These are affiliated companies of central broadcasting stations in Seoul just like other
local broadcasting companies in South Korea. TBC (Taegu Broadcasting Corporation) depends on
SBS. They cover to Gyeongsangbuk-do out of the city. Each television broadcasting company has its own radio station as well.
International Daegu
Daegu is largely a homogeneous community that includes few non-Koreans. However, a number of immigrants from
South
South is one of the cardinal directions or Points of the compass, compass points. The direction is the opposite of north and is perpendicular to both east and west.
Etymology
The word ''south'' comes from Old English ''sūþ'', from earlier Pro ...
and
Southeast Asia work in automotive-parts factories on the city's west side. In addition, there is a small group of English-speaking Westerners working in English schools and university programs. The American military bases are also home to several hundred Americans. Recently Chinese students have begun studying Korean at universities in Daegu, and there is an increasing number of graduate and post-graduate students from other Asian countries. As elsewhere in Korea, Korean food overwhelmingly dominates; Chinese, Japanese and Western food forms the bulk of non-Korean food but recently Indian and Russian foods have become available.
Daegu hosts three American military bases,
Camp Henry,
Camp George
Camp may refer to:
Outdoor accommodation and recreation
* Campsite or campground, a recreational outdoor sleeping and eating site
* a temporary settlement for nomads
* Camp, a term used in New England, Northern Ontario and New Brunswick to descri ...
which houses Daegu American School, and
Camp Walker. Camp Walker houses Daegu High School for high school children, while Camp George hold the school for elementary and middle school (both of which are primarily for children of military personnel and US Military civilian employees). Camp George also houses most of the married
nlistedranked soldiers. Camp Henry and Camp Walker serve as the primary place of work for all the military personnel. Camp Walker serves as the home to enlisted Sergeants Major and Officer ranked soldiers, Major and up. Although non-military families can enroll their children at the school, most either home-school their children or send them to a small Christian private school which teaches about 25 children near the central business district of Daegu.
Religion
According to the census of 2015, 23.8% of the population followed
Buddhism and 19.7% followed
Christianity (12%
Protestantism and 7.7%
Catholicism). 55.8% of the population is irreligious.
Education
, Daegu has 232 elementary schools, 125 middle schools, and 94 high schools. There are two specialized public high schools which are
Daegu Science High School
Daegu Science High School is a gifted school located in Daegu, South Korea. The school opened on October 26, 1987. As of 2020, it has 281 students. The school is for gifted students with talents in mathematics and sciences. The graduates of the ...
and
Taegu Foreign Language High School, and some other high schools such as
Keisung Academy
Keisung Academy () is a co-educational independent day and boarding school for grades 10–12, located in Daegu, South Korea.
History
Origins
Keisung Academy was established in 1906 by missionary James E. Adams.
Campus facilities
Academic f ...
, Gyeongsin High School and Daeryun High School have good grades for university admission. Most of well-known high schools are located in
Suseong-gu
Suseong District (Suseong-gu) is a ''gu'' (district) in southeastern Daegu, South Korea. It is one of the most prosperous and high-density areas of Daegu, and is the site of the city's most extensive hagwon district. The population of this dist ...
because its educational grade and zeal are high standard in the country.
Also, Daegu has 4 independent private high schools like
Keisung Academy
Keisung Academy () is a co-educational independent day and boarding school for grades 10–12, located in Daegu, South Korea.
History
Origins
Keisung Academy was established in 1906 by missionary James E. Adams.
Campus facilities
Academic f ...
(also called Keisung High School),
Gyeongsin High School Gyeongsin High School is high school that is situated at Daegu in South Korea. The school has put a seat to Korean every year one of the highest prestigious private schools with excellent grade and high distinguished university entrance rate beneath ...
, Gyeong-il Girl's High School, Daegun Catholic High School.
Universities and colleges

Daegu and its satellite towns are one of the areas which have the largest private higher educational institutions in Korea. Many of their main campuses are located in the nearby
Gyeongsan city which serves the Daegu region as a
college town
A college town or university town is a community (often a separate town or city, but in some cases a town/city neighborhood or a district) that is dominated by its university population. The university may be large, or there may be several sma ...
.
Kyungpook National University
Kyungpook National University (경북대학교, abbreviated as KNU or Kyungdae, 경대) is one of ten Flagship Korean National Universities representing Daegu Metropolitan City and Gyeongbuk Province in South Korea. It is located in the Dae ...
(KNU) is one of the most highly ranked and well organized national universities in Korea. It holds high ranks in and around the city in many academic fields, whil
DGIST(Daegu Gyeongbuk Institute of Science and Technology)is recognized as Korea's one of top universities in the field of science and technology. DGIST is one of four ISTs in Korea, along with KAIST, UNIST and GIST. It was established under 'The Daegu Gyeongbuk Institute of Science and Technology Act (Act 699)' enacted on December 11, 2003. In 2019, DGIST was selected a
'Top 25 Rising Young Universities' Daegu has two of the most prestigious private universities outside Seoul,
Yeungnam University(YU)and
Keimyung University
Keimyung University (계명대학교, Gyemyeong Daehakgyo), abbreviated as KMU or Keimyung (啓明), is a private university located in Daegu, the fourth largest city in South Korea. The university takes roots from Jejungwon founded in 1899. Th ...
. There are some smaller private universities such as
Catholic University of Daegu and
Daegu University.
Daegu National University of Education
Daegu National University of Education, commonly abbreviated as Daegu-gyodae (대구교대) in Korean, is one of the National Universities of Education which provides training courses for preliminary teachers in the public primary schools of Sout ...
offers elementary education training.
The other universities and colleges include
Daegu Arts University
Daegu Arts University is a South Korean private university specializing in training for the fine arts. Its campus is located a short distance north of Daegu metropolitan city, in Gasan-myeon of Chilgok County, North Gyeongsang
North Gyeongsang ...
,
Daegu Cyber University
Daegu Cyber University is an accredited South Korean online university. Its physical headquarters is located near Daegu in neighboring Gyeongsan City, North Gyeongsang province in South Korea.
Daegu Cyber University is specialized in courses for ...
,
Daegu Haany University,
Daegu Health College,
Daegu Mirae College
Daegu Mirae College was a private college located in Gyeongsan City, South Korea, which neighbors the metropolitan city of Daegu. About 80 instructors were employed. In January 2018 Ministry of Education granted its voluntary closure which it fil ...
,
Daegu Polytechnic College
Daegu Polytechnic College is a vocational training institution serving Daegu metropolitan city, the third-largest city in South Korea. The current president is Lee Chang-u (이창우). About 40 instructors are employed.
Academics
The college c ...
,
Daegu Technical College, Daeshin University,
Keimyung University
Keimyung University (계명대학교, Gyemyeong Daehakgyo), abbreviated as KMU or Keimyung (啓明), is a private university located in Daegu, the fourth largest city in South Korea. The university takes roots from Jejungwon founded in 1899. Th ...
, Kyongbuk Science College, Kyungil University,
Taekyeung College,
Yeungjin College,
Yeungnam College of Science and Technology
Yeungnam University College is a technical college located in Nam-gu, Daegu, South Korea. It offers two-, three-, and four- year degree programs in a variety of technical fields, including those of computers, information technology, and industrial ...
, and
Youngnam Theological College and Seminary.
Medical institutions
Some large
university hospitals make the city the medical hub of south-eastern Korea. The Kyungpook National University Hospital, founded as ''Daegu-dongin-uiwon'' in 1907 by the Japanese, is the best-known hospital in the city. The Dongsan Hospital (attached to
Keimyung University
Keimyung University (계명대학교, Gyemyeong Daehakgyo), abbreviated as KMU or Keimyung (啓明), is a private university located in Daegu, the fourth largest city in South Korea. The university takes roots from Jejungwon founded in 1899. Th ...
), founded as ''Jejungwon'' in 1899, is one of the oldest western style medical clinics in Korea. The Yeungnam University Medical Center has the largest number of beds in the city. The yearly treatment amount of these tertiary hospitals is the second largest in South Korea after that of Seoul. The Daegu Catholic University Medical Center is also included in them.
Primary and secondary schools
*
Hamji High School
*
Kangbuk High School
Gangbuk High School is a high school in Daegu, Korea. The school is a private high school and admits only male students. Its motto is "A person who has a dream, one who is efficient, one who is moral". The school's goal is enhancing moral character ...
*
Maecheon High School
*
Seongsan High School
International schools in Daegu include:
*
Daegu International School
*Daegu Chinese Elementary School or Korea Daeguhwagyo Elementary School ()
*
Overseas Chinese High School, Daegu
Elementary schools
Global schools:
* Daegu Sindang Elementary School
Transportation
Rail

Daegu is the hub of the Korean inland railroad traffic. The main railroad of the country,
Gyeongbu Line passes through the city. The largest railroad station in the city,
Dongdaegu Station
Dongdaegu Station, meaning "East Daegu Station", is a railway station in Daegu, South Korea. It is on the national high-speed KTX railway network, south of Seoul Station.
History
The station opened in 1962 and KTX trains on the Gyeongbu Li ...
has the second largest passenger traffic in Korea after
Seoul Station, it is the number one station in Korea for train stops, and the largest train traffic.
All trains passing through
Dongdaegu Station
Dongdaegu Station, meaning "East Daegu Station", is a railway station in Daegu, South Korea. It is on the national high-speed KTX railway network, south of Seoul Station.
History
The station opened in 1962 and KTX trains on the Gyeongbu Li ...
make a mandatory stop. The station re-opened in 2004 after extensive renovations serving the
KTX highspeed train,
Saemaul and
Mugunghwa trains. All kinds of trains except KTX depart from
Daegu Station, an all-new building with cinemas, restaurants and a department store, located near the city centre. It has the tenth largest passenger traffic in Korea.
Daegu Line branches off from
Gacheon station
Gacheon station is a railway station on the Gyeongbu Line
The Gyeongbu Line (''Gyeongbuseon'') is a railway line in South Korea and is considered to be the most important and one of the oldest ones in the country. It was constructed in 1905, ...
of Gyeongbu Line.
Metro

The city also has a
metro system, consisting of two heavy rail lines.
Line 1 Line 1 or 1 line may refer to:
Public transport Africa
* Line 1 (Algiers Metro), Algeria
* Cairo Metro Line 1, Egypt
Asia China
* Line 1 (Beijing Subway)
* Line 1 (Changchun Rail Transit)
* Line 1 (Changsha Metro)
* Line 1 (Changzhou Metro)
* L ...
crosses the city from northeast to southwest, while
Line 2 Line 2 or 2 Line may refer to:
Public transport Americas
*2 (New York City Subway service), a rapid transit service in the A Division of the New York City Subway
*2 Line (Sound Transit), a light rail line in Seattle, Washington
*Line 2 Bloor–Dan ...
crosses from west to east.
Line 3 from northwest to southeast is an elevated
monorail. All the lines are and will be operated by th
Daegu Metropolitan Transit Corporation(DTRO). Another line will operate in a few years as a heavy rail system using the Gumi–Daegu–Gyeongsan section of Gyeongbu Line. Line 4 is a long-range plan and will be a circle line. Fare is 1400 won and 1250 won with a prepaid card. There is a free interchange scheme between the metro and bus within an hour of first use for the prepaid card users.
It started a full-fledged health-sharing stairway project by installing "Seven-color melody health donation stairs" at Shinmae Station and Imdang Station on Daegu Subway Line 2. Using these stairs, LED lights turn on with the sound of the keyboard. And a donation of ₩10(won) per session goes to those in need (such as pediatric cancer centers and low-income families).
Road
There are two types of buses which are local and limited express. Limited express buses have more seats, but often passengers are required to stand. , Local bus fare costs around 1,400
won
Won may refer to:
*The Korean won from 1902–1910
*South Korean won, the currency of the Republic of Korea
*North Korean won, the currency of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea
* Won (Korean surname)
* Won (Korean given name)
* Won Buddhis ...
with cash, Limited express bus fare would set you back 1,800 won. Discounted fare is available with a prepaid card.
Bus route numbers are made up with 3 digits, each number indicates the area that bus serves. For example, number 407 bus runs from zone four, to zone zero, and then to zone seven. Other routes, usually circular, are named for the districts they serve and numbered 1 through 3.
Traffic is sometimes heavy, however, the major thoroughfares handle fairly high volumes of traffic without too much trouble.
Air
Daegu is served by
Daegu International Airport, located in northeastern Daegu. As of July, 2022, international destinations include China, Thailand, the Philippines, and Mongolia.
Bus

*
Others
Accidents
*The
Frog Boys, this incident is an unsolved case. 5 boys were killed by the criminal in 1991. Boys failed to return after going out to pick up the salamander eggs, and people often call the case "The frog boys case".
*The
1995 Daegu gas explosions
The 1995 Daegu gas explosions occurred at Daegu Metro Line 1, a construction site located in Sangin-dong, Daegu, South Korea, on April 28, 1995. At least 101 people, including 42 Yeongnam Middle School students, were killed with as many as 202 pe ...
killed 101 and injured 202. A pagoda for consolation of the dead was erected in Haksan park.
*The
Daegu subway fire occurred on February 18, 2003, when an arsonist, "
Kim Dae-Han" set fire to a train at the Jungangno Station of the Daegu Metropolitan Subway in Daegu, South Korea. The fire spread across two trains within minutes, killing 192 people and injuring 151 others. It remains the deadliest deliberate loss of life in a single incident in South Korean peacetime history.
Notable people
Leaders
*
Roh Tae-woo – army general and thirteenth
president of South Korea
*
Park Geun-hye – former president of South Korea, from 2013 to 2017, daughter of former president
Park Chung-hee
Park Chung-hee (, ; 14 November 1917 – 26 October 1979) was a South Korean politician and army general who served as the dictator of South Korea from 1961 until his assassination in 1979; ruling as an unelected military strongman from 1961 ...
Industrialists
*
Kim Woo-jung – Korean businessman, founder and former chairman of the
Daewoo Group
Daewoo ( ; Hangul: , Hanja: , ; literally "great universe" and a portmanteau of "dae" meaning great, and the given name of founder and chairman Kim Woo-choong) also known as the Daewoo Group, was a major South Korean chaebol (type of conglomerat ...
*
Toni Ko – Businessperson and founder of
NYX Cosmetics
*
Lee Kun-hee – a South Korean businessman who served as chairman of the
Samsung Group from 1987 to 2008 and from 2010 to 2020, and is credited with the transformation of Samsung to the world's largest manufacturer of smartphones, televisions, and memory chips.
Religious
*
Kim Sou-hwan
Stephen (often rendered as Latin Stephanus) Kim Sou-hwan (; May 8, 1922 – February 16, 2009) was a cardinal of the Roman Catholic Church and the former archbishop of Seoul, South Korea. Having been an iconic figure in South Korea's bloody a ...
– first Korean
Cardinal
Cardinal or The Cardinal may refer to:
Animals
* Cardinal (bird) or Cardinalidae, a family of North and South American birds
**''Cardinalis'', genus of cardinal in the family Cardinalidae
**''Cardinalis cardinalis'', or northern cardinal, the ...
of the
Catholic Church. His father escaped from his hometown of
Chungcheong province for keeping his religion.
Writers
*
Jaegwon Kim – philosopher
Actors and actresses
*
Bong Joon-ho
Bong Joon-ho (, ; Hanja: 奉俊昊; born September 14, 1969) is a South Korean film director, producer and screenwriter. The recipient of four Academy Awards, his filmography is characterised by emphasis on social themes, genre-mixing, black h ...
– director and screenwriter
*
Lee Chang-dong – director
*
Shin Seong-il – actor, director, and producer
*
Son Ye-jin – actress
*
Moon Chae-won – actress
*
Song Hye-kyo – actress
*
Min Hyo-rin – actress
*
Seo Ji-hoon – actor
*
Yoo Ah-in – actor
*
Jang Dong-yoon – actor
*
Yoon So-ho – actor
*
Tom Choi
Tom T. Choi (born in Daegu, South Korea) is a Korean-American actor best known for ''Teen Wolf'' and his voice work on the '' Mortal Kombat'' video games and the first season of ''Squid Game''. He has acted in numerous movies and television prog ...
– actor
*
Kim Jung-woo – actor
*
Kim Min-jae – actor
*
Kim Hee-sun – actress
*
Sung Hoon – actor
Sports
*
Lee Man-Soo – baseball player
*
Yang Jun-Hyuk – baseball player
*
Lee Seung-Yeop – baseball player
*
Park Chu-Young
Park Chu-young (; ; also romanised as Park Ju-young; born 10 July 1985) is a South Korean footballer who plays for Ulsan Hyundai as a forward.
Club career FC Seoul
In February 2005, Park joined a K League club FC Seoul with the highest sa ...
– soccer player
*
Jin Sun-Yu – short-track speed skater, triple gold medalist at
2006 Winter Olympics
The 2006 Winter Olympics, officially the XX Olympic Winter Games ( it, XX Giochi olimpici invernali) and also known as Torino 2006, were a winter multi-sport event held from 10 to 26 February 2006 in Turin, Italy. This marked the second t ...
*
Bae Sang-moon – golfer, leading money winner on the Japan Golf Tour for the 2011 season
*
Choi Doo-ho – mixed martial artist
Beauties
*
Chang Yun-jong – first runner-up of the
Miss Universe 1988, winner of the
Miss Korea 1987
*
Son Tae-young – first runner-up of the
Miss International 2000, second runner-up of the
Miss Korea 2000, actress
*Seo Eun-mi – first runner-up of the
Miss International 2009
Miss International 2009, the 49th Miss International pageant, was held on November 28, 2009, at the Sichuan International Tennis Center in Chengdu, Sichuan, China. The pageant was originally scheduled to be held on November 7, 2009, at The Ven ...
, one of two first runners-up of the
Miss Korea 2009
Miss Korea 2009 was a beauty pageant that was held on July 8, 2009 at the Sejong Center, sponsored by the Korean newspaper HanKook Daily News. Approximately 56 women from around the world competed in Seoul, South Korea and seven, equivalent to s ...
*
Yoo Ye-bin
Yoo Ye-bin (born January 30, 1992) is a South Korean beauty pageant titleholder who was crowned Miss Korea 2013 and represented her country at the Miss Universe 2014 pageant.
Early life
Yoo Ye-bin was born in Daegu, South Korea and currently is ...
– winner of the Miss Korea 2013, competed in
Miss Universe 2014
Singers
*Min Yoon-gi (stage names
Suga and Agust D) – rapper, songwriter, record producer and member of K-pop group
BTS
*Kim Tae-hyung (stage name
V) – singer, songwriter, actor, composer, producer and member of K-pop group BTS.
*
Choi Beom-gyu Choi may refer to:
* Choi (Korean surname), a Korean surname
* Choi, Macau Cantonese transliteration of the Chinese surname Cui (崔) and Xu (徐)
* Choi, Cantonese romanisation of Cai (surname) (蔡), a Chinese surname
* CHOI-FM, a radio statio ...
— singer, songwriter, producer, and member of K-pop group
Tomorrow X Together
*Kim Ji-yeon (stage name
Bona) – member of K-pop girl group
Cosmic Girls
*Kang Chan-hee (stage name
Chani) – member of K-pop boy group
SF9
*Kim Ki-bum (stage name
Key
Key or The Key may refer to:
Common meanings
* Key (cryptography), a piece of information that controls the operation of a cryptography algorithm
* Key (lock), device used to control access to places or facilities restricted by a lock
* Key (map ...
) – member K-pop boy group
Shinee
*Kim Min-jun (stage name
Jun. K) – member of K-pop boy group
2PM
2PM (; romanized; ''Tupiem'') is a South Korean boy band formed by JYP Entertainment. The group is composed of six members: Jun. K (formerly known as Junsu), Nichkhun, Taecyeon, Wooyoung, Junho and Chansung. Originally a seven-piece group, fo ...
*Lee Joo-heon (stage name
Joohoney) – member of K-pop boy group
Monsta X
*Park Ji-young (stage name
Kahi) – former leader and member of
After School
*
Park So-jin – leader and member of K-pop girl group
Girl's Day
*Nancy Jewel McDonie (stage name
Nancy) – member of K-pop girl group
Momoland
*Jang Da-hye (stage name
Heize) – singer-songwriter, rapper, participant in
Unpretty Rapstar 2
*
Kim Dong-han
Kim Dong-han (; born July 3, 1998), also known mononymously as Donghan, is a South Korean singer, songwriter and actor. He first became known for competing in the reality survival show ''Produce 101'' Season 2, and later debuted in the boy ban ...
– former member of
JBJ and member of
WEi
Wei or WEI may refer to:
States
* Wey (state) (衛, 1040–209 BC), Wei in pinyin, but spelled Wey to distinguish from the bigger Wei of the Warring States
* Wei (state) (魏, 403–225 BC), one of the seven major states of the Warring States per ...
, a participant in
Produce 101 (season 2)
*
Lee Seung-hyub
Lee Seung-hyub (born October 31, 1992) is a South Korean rapper, singer, instrumentalist, songwriter, and actor. He is a member and leader of the South Korean band N.Flying.
Career
Since 2013, Lee has been the leader South Korean band N.Flying ...
– rapper, singer, instrumentalist, songwriter, actor, member of the South Korean band
N.Flying
N.Flying ( ko, 엔플라잉, Japanese: エヌフライング; short for New Flying which also means 'new wings' or 'new escape') is a South Korean rap rock band formed by FNC Entertainment in 2013. The group released its first digital indie sin ...
*Bae Joo-hyun (stage name
Irene
Irene is a name derived from εἰρήνη (eirēnē), the Greek for "peace".
Irene, and related names, may refer to:
* Irene (given name)
Places
* Irene, Gauteng, South Africa
* Irene, South Dakota, United States
* Irene, Texas, United States ...
), singer and actress, member and leader of
Red Velvet
Other
*
Kim Yong-jun (art critic)
Kim Yong-jun (김용준, 金瑢俊, 3 February 1904 - 3 November 1967), pen name Geunwon (근원, 近園), was a Korean artist, art critic, and art historian. He is known for writing ''Geunwon supil'' (근원수필, 近園隨筆, 1948) and ''Joseon ...
*
Sin Sung-gyeom – a Korean general during the
Later Three Kingdoms period in the early tenth century
*
Yi Sang-hwa
Yi Sang-hwa (Hangul: 이상화; also transliterated as Lee Sang-hwa) (1901–1943) was a Korean nationalist poet active in the resistance to Japanese rule."Lee Sangwha" LTI Korea Datasheet available at LTI Korea Library or online at:
Life
Yi S ...
– a Korean nationalist poet active in the resistance to Japanese rule
*
Hyun Jin-geon
Hyeon Jingeon (September 2, 1900 – April 25, 1943) () was a Korean author.
Life
Hyun Jin-geon was born in Daegu, Korea in 1900 (Two different birth dates are given in the literature, September 2,Flowers of Fire: Twentieth Century Korean St ...
– a Korean writer
In popular culture
Daegu serves as the setting for Season 1, Episode 6 of the HBO horror drama ''Lovecraft Country'' (2020). Set in 1949/50 the episode is a prolonged flashback or prequel to the main arc of the series, which takes place in 1955 in Chicago and Massachusetts, and depicts main character Atticus' experiences as a U.S. soldier during the Korean War.
Sister cities
Daegu is
twinned
Twinning (making a twin of) may refer to:
* In biology and agriculture, producing two offspring (i.e., twins) at a time, or having a tendency to do so;
* Twin towns and sister cities, towns and cities involved in town twinning
* Twinning inst ...
with the following locations:
*
Atlanta, United States
(1981)
*
Almaty
Almaty (; kk, Алматы; ), formerly known as Alma-Ata ( kk, Алма-Ата), is the List of most populous cities in Kazakhstan, largest city in Kazakhstan, with a population of about 2 million. It was the capital of Kazakhstan from 1929 to ...
, Kazakhstan
(1990)
*
Qingdao
Qingdao (, also spelled Tsingtao; , Mandarin: ) is a major city in eastern Shandong Province. The city's name in Chinese characters literally means " azure island". Located on China's Yellow Sea coast, it is a major nodal city of the One Belt ...
, China
(1993)
*
Belo Horizonte
Belo Horizonte (, ; ) is the sixth-largest city in Brazil, with a population around 2.7 million and with a metropolitan area of 6 million people. It is the 13th-largest city in South America and the 18th-largest in the Americas. The metropol ...
, Brazil
(1994)
*
Hiroshima
is the capital of Hiroshima Prefecture in Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 1,199,391. The gross domestic product (GDP) in Greater Hiroshima, Hiroshima Urban Employment Area, was US$61.3 billion as of 2010. Kazumi Matsui h ...
, Japan
(1997)
*
Saint Petersburg, Russia
(1997)
*
Plovdiv
Plovdiv ( bg, Пловдив, ), is the second-largest city in Bulgaria, standing on the banks of the Maritsa river in the historical region of Thrace. It has a population of 346,893 and 675,000 in the greater metropolitan area. Plovdiv is the c ...
, Bulgaria
(2002)
*
Taipei, Taiwan
(2010)
*
Ningbo, China
(2013)
*
Milan, Italy
(2015)
*
Chengdu
Chengdu (, ; Simplified Chinese characters, simplified Chinese: 成都; pinyin: ''Chéngdū''; Sichuanese dialects, Sichuanese pronunciation: , Standard Chinese pronunciation: ), Chinese postal romanization, alternatively Romanization of Chi ...
, China
(2015)
*
Milwaukee, United States
(2017)
*
Da Nang
Nang or DanangSee also Danang Dragons ( ; vi, Đà Nẵng, ) is a class-1 municipality and the fifth-largest city in Vietnam by municipal population. It lies on the coast of the East Sea of Vietnam at the mouth of the Hàn River, and is one ...
, Vietnam
(2018)
Friendship cities
*
Yangzhou,
Jiangsu, China (2003)
*
Yancheng, Jiangsu, China (2003)
*
Shenyang
Shenyang (, ; ; Mandarin pronunciation: ), formerly known as Fengtian () or by its Manchu language, Manchu name Mukden, is a major China, Chinese sub-provincial city and the List of capitals in China#Province capitals, provincial capital of Lia ...
,
Liaoning
Liaoning () is a coastal province in Northeast China that is the smallest, southernmost, and most populous province in the region. With its capital at Shenyang, it is located on the northern shore of the Yellow Sea, and is the northernmost ...
, China (2003)
*
Kobe
Kobe ( , ; officially , ) is the capital city of Hyōgo Prefecture Japan. With a population around 1.5 million, Kobe is Japan's seventh-largest city and the third-largest port city after Tokyo and Yokohama. It is located in Kansai region, whic ...
,
Hyōgo, Japan (2010)
*
Ho Chi Minh City
, population_density_km2 = 4,292
, population_density_metro_km2 = 697.2
, population_demonym = Saigonese
, blank_name = GRP (Nominal)
, blank_info = 2019
, blank1_name = – Total
, blank1_ ...
, Vietnam (2015)
*
Shaoxing,
Zhejiang, China (2015)
*
Wuhan,
Hubei, China (2016)
*
Bangkok, Thailand (2017)
*
Changsha,
Hunan, China (2018)
*
Kaohsiung
Kaohsiung City (Mandarin Chinese: ; Wade–Giles: ''Kao¹-hsiung²;'' Pinyin: ''Gāoxióng'') is a special municipality located in southern Taiwan. It ranges from the coastal urban center to the rural Yushan Range with an area of . Kaohsi ...
, Taiwan (2018)
*
Bắc Ninh Province, Vietnam (2019)
*
Lille, France (2019)
*
Yanbian, China (2021)
See also
*
Gususan Library
Gususan Library is a library located at Daegu in South Korea
South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea (ROK), is a country in East Asia, constituting the southern part of the Korea, Korean Peninsula and sharing a Korean Demilitariz ...
*
Gyeongsang
Gyeongsang ( ko, 경상도, ''Gyeongsang-do''; ) was one of the eight provinces of Korea during the Joseon dynasty. Gyeongsang was located in the southeast of Korea.
The provincial capital was Daegu. The region was the birthplace of the Kingdom ...
*
History of Daegu Throughout and before recorded history, Daegu has served as a nexus of transportation, lying as it does at the junction of the Geumho and Nakdong rivers. During the Joseon Dynasty, the city was the administrative, economic and cultural centre of t ...
*
List of cities in South Korea
Notes
References
Citations
Bibliography
*.
Further reading
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
External links
*
*
Daegu : Official Site of Korea Tourism OrgCity Bus Schedule and Routes*http://www.diof.org Daegu International Opera Festival
{{Authority control
Daegu
Daegu (, , literally 'large hill', 대구광역시), formerly spelled Taegu and officially known as the Daegu Metropolitan City, is a city in South Korea.
It is the third-largest urban agglomeration in South Korea after Seoul and Busan; it is ...
Special Cities and Metropolitan Cities of South Korea